100MBPS? Yeah right..

Here's my problem...

I have a small home network, 4 computers connected to a Linksys BEFSR41 Cable DSL router. This is 10/100 compatible. My computer already has a 10/100 NIC (Linksys PCMPC100) so to achieve 100mbps (or 12.5 MB/sec) I put a 10/100 card into the OTHER computer. Just a cheapo no name card. Sounds logical right, 2 100mbps cards would transfer at about 100mbps.

But NO not the case! The trasnfer speed isnt' even close to 100mbps! I've tried stopping all other activity on the network, still no success!

What Can i do about this? <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0">

Try setting the properties of the one or both of the NIC's to Full mode 100.

Just a thought.

I have a similar setup with same Linksys box and luckily all is well.

A "cheapo, no name" card will give the same performance as an expensive branded card. Generally, if you have two or more cards of the same manufacturer or model, the speed is the improved.

....except if that NIC uses a Realtek chipset. I would stay away from any NIC with a Realtek chipset. There is a reason why they're so cheap: they suck!

don't forget the speed of your computer has to also be able to transfer that much information..

ports are useless if your computer can't handle them

Quote:

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Originally posted by MacGyver:
<STRONG>....except if that NIC uses a Realtek chipset. I would stay away from any NIC with a Realtek chipset. There is a reason why they're so cheap: they suck!</STRONG>

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MacGyver..unfortunately that is the case. Mine is a Linksys but the other is a Realtek! at least I only paid $5 for it, although i do have a 10Mbps 3com but that defeats the whole purpose of what i want to do!

I'll use the purchase of another computer to get another card, what do you recommend? Linksys is OK right?


Anyway..I set both the cards to 100Mbps full duplex, and I transferred a 50MB folder from the one with the Linksys to the one with the Realtek, it took about a minute. Tried Linksys to a DLink, same speed. Not horrible but that is still only 1 MB/sec!

I had a feeling you ended up with a Realtek, but hey, look at the bright side, you're only out $5. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

Linksys is OK, just make sure there's no Realtek chips on whatever you buy. Ny personal preference is 3Com 3C905x for NIC's. Espcially since it has DOS drivers for ghosting over a network and excellent driver support overall. Very fast without overloading the CPU.

Anything by Netgear or Intel is really good too.

Looks like this one got solved but one more thing to look at is your cable and the routing of it. Make sure it is not drapped over a power strip or run close it a monitor. Make sure it is not or has not been stepped on or tripped over. Also make sure that it was not stretched either.

I wouldn't worry about it, on my 10/100 Full Duplex switch and two computers running RAID0 7200RPM hard drives both with 3Com 3C905B-TX cards I only get 2MB/sec transfer off my local FTP site.

Don't forget about your protocols. If you have multiple protocols e.g. TCP/IP and NetBEUI you'll probably get a performance decrease. Check your binding as well.

Not to mention the obvious, but have you checked the led's on yer nics/router to make sure both cards are actually running in 100 mode?

Also, did you buy your patch cables or did you make them yourself? There are differences between cabling for 10 and 100 mbit. The 100 method can be used for both, but the 10 method only works for 10.

100 mbit cabling should go:

orange/white
orange
green/white
blue
blue/white
green
brown/white
brown

I bought the cable in the store but put the connectors on myself. it's 10/100 CAT5 cable.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Milenko:
<STRONG>Not to mention the obvious, but have you checked the led's on yer nics/router to make sure both cards are actually running in 100 mode?

Also, did you buy your patch cables or did you make them yourself? There are differences between cabling for 10 and 100 mbit. The 100 method can be used for both, but the 10 method only works for 10.

100 mbit cabling should go:

orange/white
orange
green/white
blue
blue/white
green
brown/white
brown</STRONG>

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JSYK, the order of the cables does not matter, as long as you keep the pairs together...

Try to connect the PC's together directly to test the speed of data transfer without going through the router. Don't forget for two computers linked together you need to swap the orange and green pairs. Also the speed is 100 Mbits not MBytes so 1 minute for 50 MB is not bad....is it??

Quote:

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Originally posted by JMM:
<STRONG>But NO not the case! The trasnfer speed isnt' even close to 100mbps! I've tried stopping all other activity on the network, still no success!

What Can i do about this? <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

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100mbps doesn't mean 100 megabytes a sec, its 100 mega BITS per second. so the TRUE xfer rate at peak is 20 megabytes a sec for 100mbps. On a hub, this'll be divided by the number of connections....

Oh, and make sure you subnet masks are the same - helps stop collisions <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Try using a crossover cable too, just from 1 comp to another...